Right Medicine Pharmacy chose Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) as its charity of the year for 2024 after attending a fundraising ball as a guest of Unity Trust Bank and its deputy regional director, Scott Hutchinson.

Scott was just 45 years old when he suffered a stroke seven years ago and has been an ardent supporter of the charity ever since.

After the directors of Right Medicine Pharmacy, Mike Embrey and Richard Stephenson, heard first-hand accounts of how CHSS has helped people rebuild their lives, the company’s 300-strong workforce has so far raised over £3,300 through various initiatives.

Mike said: “Until that night, we didn’t realise that strokes were so common in younger people; people who were in good health and never thought it would happen to them. They suddenly went through transformational changes and hearing about the support provided by CHSS was inspirational.

“It was a real eye-opener, and knowing Scott had a personal connection to the charity, having experienced a stroke himself, we were moved to do something to help.”

Right Medicine Pharmacy has 42 outlets across the central belt of Scotland and Unity, which supports organisations that deliver positive impact in local communities, has provided finance for two acquisitions and refinance for 12 existing pharmacies.

Mike added: “We chose to bank with Unity because of their expertise. Scott is very knowledgeable about the pharmacy sector, and we’ve found him fantastic to deal with. It’s also great that Unity’s values fit well with our own and we can all come together to do good things.”

Scott is a former trustee at CHSS, who has raised over £5,000 for the charity through Ride the North events. He said: “It took me about a year to recover from my stroke and CHSS was a valuable source of support during that time.

“As a socially responsible bank, Unity is committed to improving the lives of local communities by supporting organisations like Right Medicine Pharmacy. Their support for CHSS shows what can be achieved when we all collaborate together.”

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland is Scotland’s largest health charity, supporting the one in five people who live with chest, heart and stroke conditions and Long Covid, to live life to the full.

The charity is committed to reaching an additional 175,000 people living with these conditions across Scotland every year by 2028 through its Community Healthcare Support Services.

Fundraising partnerships such as this with Right Medicine Pharmacy will enable the charity to reach this goal.

Anne Magarin, corporate and community fundraiser at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said: “Without the support of organisations like Right Medicine Pharmacy we couldn’t do what we do.

“We’re so grateful for their fundraising efforts and to see how they’re flying our flag in places in Scotland where we don’t have any charity shops helps the charity immensely.

“Partnerships are a hugely important part of our work. As well as raising vital funds, this relationship will allow us to reach more people and help realise our vision of a Scotland where people with these conditions can live their lives well.

“The pharmacy teams have an exciting programme of events and activities planned and we can’t wait to support them in their efforts. “

To find out more about fundraising for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland visit here.

If you’re living with the effects of a chest, heart or stroke condition or Long Covid and looking for advice and information, please contact Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Advice Line on 0808 801 0899. You can also text NURSE to 66777 or email adviceline@chss.org.uk.

The Scottish Housing News Charity Spotlight feature highlights the vital work of charities across Scotland each Friday. To include your local charity, whether housing-related or not, send your story and images to us at newsdesk@scottishnews.com.